TX Judge’s child abuse video brings out fans of child abuse

I was reading the r/offbeat subreddit a few hours ago. I noticed that reddit was hopping all over the story of Texas Judge William Adams – who repeatedly beat his 16 year old daughter with a belt in a disturbing videotape.

I really wish I could click on Report abuse and CPS would show up at these people’s houses, looking for signs of being beaten with a Bible Belt. This is way beyond ‘spanking’ and ‘smacking’ a disrespectful child. This was a thrashing – from a person who is often presiding over similar cases of abuse. This was a man who regularly lost his temper like that towards a 16 year old.

But now his ‘fans’ and supporters are coming out and desperately trying to make this reprehensible behavior sound socially acceptable. They are failing hard. It’s good to see that so many people are calling these rogue parents out in the comments section.

If you see parents sticking up for the Judge on your Facebook page in the next few days… I’ll let you complete that thought.

Much of the clip in the CNN story wasn’t aired, but there’s a decent summary:

Dallas (CNN) – A woman who launched a firestorm by posting a 2004 video of her father, a Texas judge, beating her on the Internet said Thursday that violence was a regular occurrence in her family home.

“It did happen regularly, for a period of time, and I could tell, because of the pattern, that things were escalating again,” Hillary Adams, now 23, said on NBC’s “Today.” She said she left her video camera on her dresser recording and covered its light with a scarf in order to capture the video.

Her father, Aransas County, Texas, Court-At-Law Judge William Adams, faces a police investigation and a judicial probe after the graphic video surfaced of him striking his then-16-year-old daughter repeatedly while cursing at her and berating her.

On Wednesday afternoon, William Adams was temporarily relieved of his duties for the next two weeks, and a visiting judge will take over his caseload while the matter is being investigated, according to the office of Aransas County Administrative Judge Burt Mills.

No court dates were scheduled this week, Mills’ office said.

In an interview with KZTV outside his Rockport, Texas, home Wednesday, Adams confirmed to a reporter that he was the man beating his daughter with a belt and a board on the video.

“She’s mad because I’ve ordered her to bring the car back, in a nutshell, but yeah, that’s me. I lost my temper,” Adams told the station. “Her mother was there, she wasn’t hurt … it was a long time ago … I really don’t want to get into this right now because as you can see my life’s been made very difficult over this child.”

“I really don’t want to get into this right now because as you can see my life’s been made very difficult over this child.”

It’s always about you, isn’t it? That’s your problem right there.

Aliasalpha

“I really don’t want to get into this right now because as you can see my life’s been made very difficult over this child.”

Oh noes, you poor long suffering abusive arsehole! Do you need a hug?

Tony

As I sit here typing this, CNN reports that this wonderful Father of the Year will face no charges. I can’t figure out if I’m more mad that he’s whining about how rough his life is, or that he called his daughter “this child”. Eh, they’re both screwed up.

Tony

http://www.stupiddinosaurlies.org/ Crazyharp81602

“Wonderful Father of the Year?” HA! What a joke!

Who Knows?

That’s odd. I’ve never once hit any of my children and all three of them are doing fine. Never once been in any trouble, excellent students and going to college or graduated from college.

Too bad so many people cannot recognize the difference between discipline and abuse.

vikingatheist

In Norway that shit would have landed him som jail-time.

Shitheads like that belong behind bars!

Ruth/STL

I can understand losing your temper with your kid. I’m ashamed to say I once hit my middle child-open hand. My older child intervened, and before the day was done we had a referral to counseling. I now have better techniques to handle issues with my child.

This sort of abuse is not discipline! Make your kid work to pay for something they broke. Make them do extra chores. Take away TV and computer. This guy was getting sexual pleasure from beating a 16 year old girl. How many abusers were not charged in his court?

I didn’t think he would be charged, given the crime happened about 6 years ago. They are looking at what can be done administratively and at the Federal level too.

jacobfromlost

Magical thinking strikes again.

If beating/spanking a child “works” because some turn out “ok”, then not beating/spanking a child must also work because some (even more) turn out ok.

No, they say. It was just luck that not beating/spanking some children resulted in them turning out ok.

Well, then, I say, why would this girl apparently “not turn out ok” by turning in her wonderful father? He beat her, right? That’s what you do to make children turn out ok, right? So why did she not turn out ok and “betray” her father?

I can already hear the answer: because she’s inherently bad.

Reminds me of what those weirdos said who beat their daughter to death for being “disobedient”. The first thing the mother said when she called 911 was, “I think my daughter killed herself.” And how did she kill herself? By disobeying, which required a beating from her parents…that resulted in her death. How convenient.

And people actually ask what harm there is in magical thinking, in making unfalsifiable claims that always benefit your position. If they beat the kid and he turns out “ok”, then beatings work and everyone should do it. If they beat the kid and they don’t turn out ok, it’s the kid’s fault and everyone should still do it. If the beat the kid AND THE KID DIES, well, that’s also the kid’s fault and everyone should still do it. God said so, therefore it’s right.

Dan L.

I can kind of understand the people who think a little bit of corporal punishment can serve as discipline. I think they’re wrong, but I can understand where they’re coming from.

But this isn’t corporal punishment. This is an angry dude venting his frustration on his defenseless 16 year old differently-abled daughter. Even if you subscribe to “spare the rod,” calm yourself down first. Make sure you’re in control of your emotions. Even those ignorant enough to think that corporal punishment is an acceptable form of punishment for unruly children should realize that discipline is supposed to be for the child’s benefit, not so that the parent can vent his or her anger and frustration.

If you’re striking a child out of anger then you’re not a stern, old-school disciplinarian, you’re a sadist.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=730511544 billdaniels

I just wonder how many violent prisoners were beaten by their parents? My guess is it would be a very high percentage.

http://lapalma-island.com Sheila Crosby

I think there are far more effective means of discipline than corporal punishment, but there are worse things too.

But this isn’t corporal punishment. Anything more than hitting with an open hand is beyond corporal punishment. This is criminal assault.

“She’s mad because I’ve ordered her to bring the car back” he says, but in the video, he’s yelling at her for putting a game on the computer. And “She wasn’t hurt,” seems highly unlikely given that he was walloping her with a belt, what? twenty or thirty times? I really can’t stand to watch it again to count.

So he’s a liar as well as a thug.

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